Lessons to Last a Lifetime
by BlueberryPunch
Summary: Gryffindor prefect Lily Evans has been saddled with new responsibilities; mentoring classes for the younger years. She's got enough on her plate as it is, with a certain James Potter beginning to take up more of her mental space than she'd like. Perhaps it'll take a cheeky little first-year with bubblegum pink hair to help her make sense of it all.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **Here's my disclaimer for the entire story: The Wizarding World is J.K. Rowling's and I'm merely playing in her sandbox. This story is intended to be relatively canon, though I have used creative license in some aspects, particularly with timelines. Please bear with me, be kind and happy reading!**

* * *

It was all James Potter's fault. He wasn't stupid, she knew that. But that sure as hell didn't stop him from doing stupid things. Who would ever think stunning a Professor, shoving him in a broom closet and polyjuicing into him to run the class would be _a good idea_? Granted, it _was_ the Divination Professor and if she was being honest, there was a very short list of people who could do a worse job than him – but Potter had secured his spot on that list with his antics at the end of last year.

Did he think he wouldn't be caught? Eyebrows started to rise when the 'Professor' began cracking vulgar jokes and cancelling all homework deadlines. He gave himself away when he gave her a crystal ball reading in front of the class and loudly predicted she'd marry a 'devilishly sexy man by the name of James Potter' and they'd 'live happily ever after'. Hilariously funny – for everyone except her, apparently. And, she silently fumed, she'd bet her wand that if it were anybody else who tried that prank, they'd be out of Hogwarts faster than a niffler after treasure. Ponce.

So he'd gone and landed himself in detention, and – surprise, surprise – he couldn't even do that properly. Professor McGonagall had said _'Well, if you want to be a teacher that badly, I've just the job for you,_ ' with a sly smirk. All he'd had to do was help a third-year student who was struggling in class with his homework and somehow, the simple task had snowballed into an operation that involved enlisting the help of his friends Remus Lupin and Frank Longbottom; the former of which was particularly good at Defence Against the Dark Arts and the latter had a penchant for Herbology. James handled his favourite subject, Transfiguration, himself and tried to wheedle Lily into assisting with the remedial Charms and Potions, but she was perfectly sure he was capable of doing the entire third-year curriculum in his sleep, and hence refused to indulge his laziness. Then Dumbledore caught wind of the situation and, in the blink of an eye, decided the prefects could run study groups in each subject for the younger students.

That's how Lily Evans, sixth year Gryffindor prefect and Flitwick's favourite student, found herself mentoring students in an unused classroom on a Saturday morning.

"That's it guys; Collo _por_ tus, make the _por_ nice and long." Lily absentmindedly reached up to her forehead to tuck a stray auburn curl behind her ear.

' _It'll be a good leadership initiative,'_ the Head Boy had said at the last prefect meeting. Lily scowled. _Leadership initiative, my arse._ She'd normally be enthusiastic the new responsibility and Merlin knew she loved working with the younger students but knowing James Potter set this into motion irritated her. Her only consolation was that Potter was probably kicking himself for accidentally improving the school's educational system. Knowing Dumbledore, that was probably his main reason for suggesting they use the idea. _Sly bastard._

The prefects had roughly outlined how these sessions were going to work:

1, All students from fifth to seventh year could help out in an area of their choosing, preferably one that they excelled in,

2, Every student was encouraged to help at least three times over the course of the year but times of which were flexible,

3, At least one prefect had to be supervising each week and

4, OWL and NEWT students were given least priority when it came to exam time. That meant sixth year students bore the brunt of the mentoring responsibilities. Lily sighed. When she had signed up to help with Charms, she'd been in the 'get it over and done with' mindset. Now, she was hosting the first study session after the holidays, the only students enthusiastic enough to come were the wide-eyed first years and she was having second thoughts.

To be fair, the first-years weren't so bad. They listened because they were excited to learn. But they knew next to nothing. _I mean, it could be worse,_ she admitted. She glanced across the classroom at Marlene McKinnon, who was wrestling with her little brother who'd stolen her wand and sniggered. _Glad that's not me._ Marly, the loyal best friend that she was, had been the only one willing to give up her first sleep-in of sixth-year to accompany Lily.

A triumphant screech came from the other side of the room. "RIGHT! Jeremy, you can go sit in that corner and practice the charm by yourself."

He whined. "But Marly, I've already mastered the locking charm!"

"Then you can go lock yourself in a box for all I care." Marlene sniffed haughtily. "And that's _Professor_ _McKinnon_ to you." Lily watched their exchange with a tinge of sorrow. Her best friend, she knew, had been ridiculously excited for her little brother to start at Hogwarts, no matter how much he drove her crazy sometimes. Thoughts of her own sister flitted into her mind, but she pushed them away. Petunia had made it clear she hated Lily – and in this case, she meant it.

She made her way around the classroom, pausing to watch as a young girl with bright pink eyebrows furrowed in concentration. She watched as the girl twisted her wrist half a turn clockwise and then a quarter turn counter-clockwise. The lid of the chest she was aiming at swung a little, but stayed wide open. Lily leant over and helped to guide her movement.

"Here, you want to create more of a rectangular shape…" A moment later the chest slammed shut, lock clicking loudly. The girl's face lit up. Lily glanced at her and let go of her hand with a chuckle. "Sweetie, I don't know how you managed to pronounce Colovaria instead of Colloportus but you've given yourself hot pink eyebrows!" At the girl's befuddled expression, Lily clarified what she had assumed had gone wrong. "Colovaria is the colour-changing charm, not the locking one!" The girl's face cleared with understanding and she giggled. Then she scrunched up her face and suddenly, her eyebrows were _blue_. Lily blinked hard and they were back to a light brown. The younger girl leaned forward and lowered her voice.

"I'm a metamorphmagus," the girl whispered into her ear, all the while grinning cheekily. "Brown's not my natural colour – I must've let myself slip for a second 'coz I was concentrating so hard." She let her eyebrows glimmer pink again for a second. 'Haven't told anyone at Hogwarts yet, 'cept I think Professor Dumbledore probably knows. You can know too, Miss Evans, since you were nice to me.' The girl declared decisively. That took Lily aback. Metamorphmagi were rare – Lily only vaguely remembered reading about them in her fourth year Care of Magical Creatures class, and hadn't realised there were any in magical Britain. But then again, they would be able to hide themselves, wouldn't they? Lily recovered from her shock and found herself warming to this eager first-year.

"Call me Lily," she offered, cracking her first genuine smile of the day. The girl beamed back at her and, in a surprisingly muggle gesture, stuck out her hand to shake. "My name's Tonks. Don't call me Nymphadora and we'll be happy as pigs in mud." Lily clasped her hand amusedly. Maybe this mentoring gig wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

"So what did wise Professor Evans teach the minions this morning?"

Lily glared at her tawny-haired roommate over lunch. "Please, I didn't make them call me Professor Evans, that makes me sound ancient!"

Mary Macdonald snorted. "That's not what I heard from Marly this morning. Or should I say, _Professor McKinnon_."

Lily laughed at that. She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the very subject of their conversation plonking herself on the bench next to Lily and stealing a potato off her plate. Lily raised her eyebrows. "Speak of the devil."

"Mwff-hmpm whm wehfb – " Marly's attempt at conversation was cut off by Lily placing a finger on her lips to shut her up. She blinked, chewed and swallowed before speaking.

"Mary, why weren't you in your bed at 5 this morning?" Her eyes glinted as she dug for dirty gossip. "Or should I have checked a certain Diggory's bed instead?"

To Mary's credit, she held up under Marly's narrowed eyes, only flushing slighty pink at the insinuation. "If you must know, I was not in Amos' bed." She paused. "I was in Ryan Jones'." Lily's head shot up so hard she cricked her neck and Marlene gaped. "WHAT?"

Mary burst out laughing. "Gotcha!" she gasped, tears beginning to stream down her face. " _Oh,_ your faces are _priceless_!" Marlene's shock melted off her face and morphed into a pained expression as if she didn't know whether to laugh or yell. Lily simply scowled and rubbed her neck. "Not funny Mary," she mumbled.

"Yes it was," Mary hiccoughed. Winking at Lily, she added. "I could've just as easily been in James Potter's bed." Rolling her eyes, Lily decided to ignore Mary and turned to Marlene to ask her why she'd been up at 5 anyway, when Marly absentmindedly told Mary, "No you couldn't, he was with me."

For the second time during lunch that day, Lily turned her head so fast she cricked her neck again. "Ow!" Grumbling, she glared at her best friend. "You have three seconds to explain yourself," she snapped.

Marlene, looking sorry she had said anything at all, reluctantly lowered her voice. "You two are not to tell anyone, but James' parents have been quite sick over the holidays." She paused, swallowing hard. "I mean, you know that my parents are his godparents and his are mine but I guess it had never really occurred to me that he might- that he might have to- because that would mean- " Her face crumpled and she visibly struggled to fight off tears. Lily drew her best friend into a hug and Mary reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "Shhh, it's okay," she soothed, and Marlene closed her eyes for a few seconds as she composed herself. Lily's heart clenched to see her boldest friend so vulnerable. Marlene and James had known each other since they could talk, and it usually amused Marly to no end that her two closest friends hated each other's guts. She maintained that it was unresolved sexual tension and, to Lily's chagrin, tried to set them up at every possible opportunity. But regardless of Lily's mixed feelings towards a certain messy-haired, hazel-eyed boy, she knew without a doubt that she would be here for Marlene come hell or high water. And if that meant giving James less of a hard time, she would. Ugh, but he could be so _infuriating_.

"Tell you what Marly," Mary began softly, "let's have a girls night in our dorm tonight. I'll hunt down Alice and she can grab some ice-cream, cookies and butterbeer off that uncle of hers, Mr Fortescue, and we'll gossip and giggle like the old times."

There was no immediate response from the blonde mass of hair pressed against Lily, but after a while Marlene took a shaky breath and straightened herself. "That sounds great Mary. Thanks." Lily's arm tightened across her shoulders. "I'm fine, promise." Giving herself a shake, she added cheekily, "I still haven't told you girls about my summer fling disaster!"

* * *

"…it was awful, honestly, if I wanted that much slime on my lips I would've snogged the giant squid. His hands were just as grabby too." Marlene shuddered as the girls in the dorm squealed with laughter. "So no, I think it's safe to say that was the end of that wanker," she wrinkled her nose.

Lily leant over to pluck the bottle of butterbeer from the middle of the room and poured herself another glass before raising it aloft with a smirk. "I'd toast to our dear Marly's newfound singleness, but let's be real - this one is for the next poor sod she sinks her fangs into." That sent the others into another round of cackles and after a mock affronted look, Lily's best friend joined in.

"I don't have fangs, thank you very much!" she gasped, clutching her sides as she laughed.

"Sweetie, with that sharp tongue of yours, you might as well." Alice piped up, brushing biscuit crumbs off her light blue pyjama pants. Mary giggled from where she was lying on her stomach on the fourth bed in the room. "I'll drink to that. Marly, your stunning looks and stinging words are absolute murder for any boy that crosses your path."

Marly lifted her chin in part defiance and part pride. "I can't help that they all have the backbones of a puffskein." Narrowing her eyes, she looked over the top of her tumbler at Lily. "Speaking of poor sods, when are you going to put James out of his misery? That many years of suppressed sexual tension _cannot_ be healthy!"

"Potter needs to grow up." Lily bit back, making a face. "How you and Ally can stand such an arrogant prick is beyond me." Suddenly remembering what Marlene had told her and Mary at lunch, she amended her words. "Okay so he's gotten better these past two years, but Merlin, can the boy not take a hint? _I'm not interested_."

Marlene shot a look at her that said _I'll drop this for now but it's not the last you'll hear of it_. Lily childishly stuck her tongue out in response.

On the other side of the room, Mary threw a chocolate at Alice. "You might not be interested in Potter, Lily, but we all know who Ally's interested in!"

Alice blushed and held her hands up in surrender under the onslaught of three pairs of eyes turned on her. "Frank and I are just peachy, thanks. We saw each other over the holidays, we're seeing each other now we're back at school, and you three drama queens can go find somebody else to hound, 'cos you won't find anything here." She blurted all of this out at top speed, with practiced efficiency. Then, confident she had satisfied the masses, she began unwrapping the chocolate thrown at her by Mary. She popped it in her mouth and looked up to see three exasperated faces.

"What?" she mumbled around a mouthful of chocolate. Marlene flopped over onto her back as Lily sighed wistfully. "If only finding everyone's soulmate was as easy as yours, Alice." Mary grumbled, but there was no venom to it. Alice simply smiled.

* * *

 **A/N: Guess who's back? After a brief two-year hiatus, we are back in business with a new and revised fic. To those who were here the first time round – you guys are the bomb diggity. You should recognise a lot of the stuff in the earlier chapters; I just went back and polished a lot of it and now I've got a bit more focus with the storyline. I've got at least ten chapters pre-written and lined up, ready to go, but honestly, we're slow-cooking over here so I can't promise too much. I am in it for the long haul though, as I hate giving up on a story. Rest assured if you start this story, you will get an ending, I just can't guarantee when.**

 **And for those truly nutty Potterheads (of which I am definitely one, guilty as charged), I will just say now that I have taken a few liberties with canon, most notable of which are Tonks and Charlie's ages. I couldn't resist having Lily take a tiny, pink-haired Tonks under her wing at Hogwarts and exploring her friendship with Charlie whilst also developing the relationship between the Marauders and their schoolmates. I aim to back up most of my authorial choices with canon-derived reasoning, so I'll be adding in little tidbits here and there in the form of author notes – if these annoy you, feel free to ignore for I like to think of them as 'the salad on the side'. Please make any criticism you may have constructive; this is a real learning process for me and definitely a work in progress. Of course, thank you for reading/favouriting/following/commenting because it genuinely makes my day!** **And that's all I can think of for now, so ta-ta!**

 **[11.4.19]**


	2. Chapter 2

Breakfast in the Great Hall the next morning was without the four Gryffindor girls of sixth-year. Their absence was not terribly conspicuous, but it was nonetheless enough to raise the concern of their male counterparts.

Four pairs of eyes, one hazel, two light brown and one midnight-dark, followed Frank Longbottom as he cheerfully finished his breakfast and immediately began wrapping an assortment of pastries in his napkin.

Frank continued to hum a jaunty tune as he transfigured the nearest fork into a woven wicker basket and loaded into it enough food for a picnic to last three days. Four eyebrows quirked in confusion.

Some fresh fruit went flying into the basket, followed by a glass of pumpkin juice charmed to prevent spillage. Finally, satisfied he'd packed enough food to feed an army of house elves, Frank swung his leg over the bench, hooked an arm through the basket handle and straightened up.

Catching sight of four dumbfounded expressions, he simply smiled and left the hall with a brief nod. A moment of silence hovered, before –

"Blimey! What's gotten into Longbottom?"

"That was obviously for Alice, Sirius. The question is, when did they get together?"

"Are you blind Moony? They've been together since second year!"

"No Wormtail, they've _liked_ each other since second year, but clearly they've recently become an official item."

Peter Pettigrew hesitated at this, furrowing his brows. "Is there a difference?"

"Yes –"

"Bloody hell, what are we? Girls?" A fourth voice interjected. The owner of the voice ran a hand through his messy black hair and smirked. "Looks like Loverboy is bringing breakfast in bed to his princess and I've got a plan to make this a memorable morning for dear Alice." The Marauders leant in to hear what James Potter had to say.

* * *

The sun had long risen by the time the girls awoke in their Gryffindor dorm, surrounded by lolly-wrappers and butterbeer bottles. A bleary-eyed Marlene yawned and stretched her arms above her head, pulling roughly at her messy blonde braid on the way down to free the soft, tumbling waves. Mary opened one eye to watch enviously, her own stick-straight lengths fanned out on her pillow.

"How do you always look so pretty even when you've just woken up?" she mumbled. Marlene looked over.

"You know you're just as gorgeous don't you? You're beautiful and witty and funny and smart and I'm - "

"All about women supporting women, yes, we've heard," came Mary's dry reply. She had closed her eyes again and was lying on her back with a faint smile on her face as she repeated one of Marlene's favourite mantras back at her.

Marlene grinned. "Well, as long as you don't forget it. Mum always says that- "

A whine came from the bed under the window and the two girls awake turned to see the top of a red head burrow deeper into her powder blue covers. Marlene grinned and scrambled off her bed to pounce on the snuggled lump that was Lily's body.

"Go away!" came a muffled groan, but this didn't deter Marlene. She snaked her hands under the comforter and tickled her best friend's side, making her squirm. It was then that a loud knocking sounded on the door, making the girls freeze.

Now, the next few events happened in a haze for Lily. It may have had something to do with her mind still being foggy with sleep or the aftereffects of too much sugar, but if pressed, she could not have remembered exactly what ensued that first Sunday morning of sixth-year.

It started off well enough. Frowning, Mary had climbed out of bed and opened the door with some trepidation. Her annoyance quickly melted to a knowing twinkle in her eye however, when she found a pink-cheeked Frank grinning as he rocked on his heels. He'd whispered a word of thanks, sneaking into the girls' dorm and over to the only bed with soft snores still emanating from it. The other girls didn't move; Mary still stood by the door and Marlene perched atop a sleepyheaded Lily. They watched as Frank leant over their friend, sweeping Alice's fair hair off her forehead and dropping a tender kiss on her.

"Wake up baby, I've brought you breakfast." He murmured so quietly it was hard to pick up from a few metres away. Alice muttered something unintelligible. Frank pressed another kiss to her head and she slowly came to, smiling drowsily when she realised her boyfriend was there to greet her. He hoisted the picnic basket onto her bed as she propped herself up with her elbows. She then patted the bed next to her, indicating that she wanted them to share, and Frank climbed under the sheets with surprising familiarity. That's when his plans for a romantic morning went pear-shaped.

Marlene pinched Lily hard, shocked at how quickly their friend's relationship had developed over the summer. She kept nudging her, not taking her eyes off the sickeningly cute love scene playing out across the room but frantically trying to get Lily to pay attention. At the same time, Mary was nearly bowled over by four boisterous boys tumbling through the door and singing loudly at the tops of their lungs. Lily jerked upwards, her head connecting with Marlene's chin.

"Ow! What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?" Marlene cursed at the intruders.

"Eep! Sorry Marly, I'm sorry!" Lily babbled, cradling her friend's face to check that it was unharmed. The boy with the longest hair tossed his head and laughed.

"What does it sound like? We're serenading –" Sirius Black turned to deliver a sarcastic reply to the furious blonde but his voice dried up in his throat as he took in her piercing grey eyes and dishevelled curls. Trying his hardest not to stare at her ass while she straddled Lily, he coughed and elbowed James. "Mate, crashing the girls in the morning was either the best or worst idea you've ever had."

Marlene narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Oi McKinnon, want to share with the class what you and Ginger got up to last night?" he smirked, clearly aiming to embarrass her. Lily's face flushed as scarlet as her hair and she snatched back her hands, but a wicked glint came into Marlene's glare. Staring Sirius right in the eye, she licked her lips and lowered her voice to a sultry purr.

"Why, would you be interested in joining? Oh but Black, I'm not quite sure you'd be able to keep up."

Sirius held her gaze a moment longer, then curled his lip in a smirk and looked away. McKinnon – 1, Black – 0. James jabbed him in back, shooting Lily a sympathetic look as he eyed the redhead's obvious discomfort.

"Padfoot, quit bantering with Marls and Lily." He turned to wink at his cousin Alice, who was burying her face in Frank's chest in a futile attempt to hide. "Wotcher Al!"

Alice groaned. "James, your timing stinks."

James grinned at that. "Really? I thought you'd be more pleased to see us! We've brought you flowers –" Remus Lupin stepped forward and produced a bunch of honking daffodils with a wink and a flourish. Mary chuckled at his faux earnestness.

"– sweets," Peter Pettigrew threw a handful of exploding bonbons on to the bed. Alice shrieked as the lollies exploded with tiny pops around her and Frank clutched her to him, looking exasperatedly at his havoc-wreaking dorm-mates.

"– and we even sang you a song, Ally, to make sure your date with Franky was absolutely _perfect_!" With that, he and Sirius broke into a rousing rendition of When A Man Loves A Woman, complete with energetic waltzing around the room and exaggerated swooning from the two boys. Remus pretended to conduct the waltz and Peter enthusiastically scattered invisible rose petals at their feet, until the watching girls fell about howling with laughter.

Finally, Frank, proving for the umpteenth time why he was renowned for his good temper, cracked a wan smile and gently extricated his arm out from under Alice to give a good-natured clap.

"I should've known better than to let you pricks see me this morning. Should've stolen from the Hufflepuff table – I think I saw trifle over there this morning," he rumbled. Alice lifted her head and smiled softly at Frank, light blue eyes conveying her gratitude and sympathy. Then, never one to hold a grudge, she extended her sunny smile to the rest of the people in the room.

"Marauders, it's lovely to see you again after the holidays. And as much as I appreciate the effort, I must let you know that the only one that's going to have any success with his romantic gestures is Frank here." She patted her boyfriend's chest and he grinned proudly. She reached over for the basket and lifted the lid, peering into it. "That said, Frank seems to have been a little over-enthusiastic with the food this morning, so…" she prised off the lid and transfigured it into a picnic cloth, which she then levitated to lay across the floor in the middle of the room, "who's up for breakfast?"

* * *

The late morning bled into afternoon and before they knew it, the Gryffindor sixth-years had spent all day having an impromptu party in the girls' dormitories. At one point, Mary had asked "How did you boys get up here anyway?" to which five innocent grins refused to give away anything. Mary had huffed and shoved another piece of chocolate cake into her mouth, then marched out of the room to inspect the stairs for faulty wards. Alice and Frank got up after Mary left, no doubt to continue their Sunday date in someplace without their rowdy friends.

Sirius had been following Marlene around like a lost puppy, much to the amusement of everybody else in the room.

"Does he realise how obvious he's being?" Lily commented, lounging on her bed as Remus leaned against the bedpost and James and Peter sat on the floor racing Ice Mice.

"I don't think Pads knows the meaning of the word 'discreet' to be honest." Remus chuckled.

"I don't think she does either."

Remus smirked. "Not going to argue with you there, love."

The two prefects watched Marlene eat a strawberry rather dramatically, taking about half a minute to bite into the flesh, allow the juice to dribble just so, and lick her lips. She reached for another but before she got the chance to give a repeat performance, Sirius plucked it from her fingers and cheekily popped in in his mouth. Marlene gasped with mock outrage. She leapt onto Sirius to tackle him and he responded with gusto, taking care to 'accidentally' brush his fingers across her bum every so often. Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Sirius is such a dog, isn't he?" She didn't notice the three Marauders start and flick their eyes sharply to her, but she blinked when they started laughing their heads off. Remus nodded fondly. "That he is." Peter couldn't stop giggling.

Lily's eyebrows climbed higher and she forgot all about the uncontrollable laughter when she realised that her best friend hadn't yet hexed Sirius for being inappropriately touchy. She did a double take when she noticed Marlene lightly grinding on Sirius in return under the guise of play-fighting. Sirius Black, Hogwarts' resident playboy and heartbreaker, was hitting on Marlene _and she was liking it_.

"I reckon Marly may just have met her match in Black," she slowly remarked.

Remus chuckled. "Queen Marlene? No way, Padfoot only wishes he could be on her level."

Lily snorted as she was reminded of the ridiculous nickname that Marly had given herself back in first year. "Yeah, she'll never live that down. Queen Marlene indeed."

Hearing her name, Marly pouted and rolled off Sirius. "All hail Queen Marlene!" she crowed, striking a pose. "You must bow down to show your respects!" Lily rolled her eyes.

From the floor, James picked up his mouse and threw it at her. It squeaked as it sailed through the air. "Put a sock in it Marls, that stopped being funny years ago."

Marlene jutted her chin as haughtily as she could, staring down her nose at James. "Don't tell me what to do, peasant." She paused for a moment, noticing his eyes fixed on something behind her, and whirled around to come face to face with a shocked Sirius, who'd been sneaking up to scare her. "AHA!" she shouted gleefully, chasing the dark-haired boy as he retreated, scrambling over bottles and in between furniture. She finally pinned him to the wall next to Alice's bed and gave a victorious yell. "You lose!"

Sirius grinned, midnight eyes darkening ever so slightly as he took in his close proximity to the blonde spitfire. "So why does it feel like I've won?" he murmured huskily, sliding an arm round her waist and slowly leaning in. Lily gagged, James fake-retched, Peter became overly interested in his Ice Mice and Remus simply pretended he hadn't heard anything.

Marlene lingered until the very last second to turn her face – catching his lips with her cheek and then flouncing out of his reach. He watched her go, growling slightly, but if the heat in his eyes and the smile playing on his lips were anything to go by, he didn't seem to mind all that much.

 **A/N: Originally I wrote one giant chapter but then decided to cut it in two; next instalment should go up tomorrow. Also, I'm not generally one to incorporate songs into my writing but I do like to amuse myself with making vague references to lyrics here and there so let me know if you spot them :)** **Apparently there have been reports of an ABBA reunion and I'm stoked!**

 **[12.4.19]**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: As promised, here is the next chapter. Eeurgh, I don't know how I feel about this one; changed it so many times that I kind of just threw it all together in the end and went 'there. that can happen. fine.'. I promise there will be plot, it'll just take a while to build to. Long author's note at the end again, skip if you want. Anyway, on with the chapter!**

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed in a hum of quiet conversation, with various people coming and going from the room from time to time. For the most part though, the Marauders were happy to laze the Sunday away in the company of Lily and Marlene. Lily in particular, found herself listening in on an increasingly zealous conversation between Remus and James about the recent conspiracy theories surrounding the current Minister for Magic.

"Don't be ridiculous Prongs, the Minister wouldn't sabotage his own Department Heads. It's more likely that he's secretly using goblins in the Ministry."

"Goblins? _Goblins?_ Have you met the grouchy little buggers? I reckon it'd be house elves; those precious things would do anything for you." James remarked, sounding quite fond of the elves in question. Lily supposed he had a few; the Potters were far from poor. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, but after meeting a few of the Hogwarts elves, she felt inclined to agree – they were the sweetest creatures.

"Besides," James added, "there is _no_ way a goblin would agree to working for next to nothing –"

"We don't know that," interrupted Remus. "It was only the one intern who complained about being starved and overloaded with work at the ministry. Besides, I heard she was new and the other employees have shot her complaints down anyway, calling her out for being a princess. I think she even ended up getting fired for defamation of the Ministry."

Lily snorted quietly and the two boys stopped to look at her. Startled, she stared back at them. "Oh no it's okay, I didn't mean to interrupt or anything, I just overheard–"

"You're always welcome to chat with us, Lils." Lily blushed and looked away. "What was that you were saying?"

"Oh nothing," she nervously laughed, "just that I wish people could be fired just for being obnoxious more often." That sent Remus into chortles and James shot his friend a look.

Remus poked him in the side. "What? You'd never get a job, James!"

"Hey!"

"Alas," Lily picked up the conversation again, "apparently the Daily Prophet snapped up that intern – I think her name was Skeeter? – after she cried her sob-story to the world. The Prophet twisted it all around to make it seem like the Ministry was abusing her and they were rescuing the poor girl."

"Sounds like a piece of work, that one. I'd be wary about reading anything she publishes in the future," Remus remarked. "But we're getting off topic – I don't think Minister Minchum would use house-elves; they're not creative enough."

"Oh but have you _seen_ the methods our house-elves have used to patch up the house after I've blown bits of it up? And let me tell you, I had no idea you could crush Doxy stings with aconite to get a gravy stain out of a three-generation-old wedding dress but _that_ was creativity at it's finest."

Lily jumped in, snickering. "I don't want to know how that situation came to be, Potter, but my mum would definitely find that useful."

" _You've_ gotten gravy on a wedding dress as well?" James gaped.

"No, it was _Marlene_ who decided that wearing one of my favourite dresses to Christmas dinner in third year was a good idea."

Hearing her name, Marlene leapt up from where she and Sirius had been charming fudge flies to fly into the open mouth of Peter, who was dozing on a pile of cushions. She dive-bombed Lily's bed, tackling her into a hug.

"I _said_ I was sorry!"

Lily fell about laughing. "I know, I know! Marly, get off, I was talking to Remus and Potter."

"James." James interjected.

Lily paused and glanced at him. "James," she repeated softly.

Remus and Marlene hid their smiles as the conversation continued.

* * *

The contented atmosphere of the room was broken a short while later by the rather conspicuous arrival of Mary Macdonald, who announced herself by throwing open the door and falling through.

"Get me away!" she blabbered. "Yuck yucky yuck yuck! My eyeballs! My brain!"

"Oh, stop being such a drama queen Mary!" Alice's voice floated in from just outside the door.

" _You_ weren't the one who just walked in on your friends nearly shagging in the stairwell!" Various eyes around the room bugged out and the boys let out a few whoops. "Come on in, you can do your walk of shame in front of everybody."

"We weren't shagging! Hang on, give me a moment…" Lily and Marlene sniggered.

Frank walked into the room with a sheepish grin. "Sorry Mary, we really didn't think anybody would use those stairs."

Alice followed a few moments after, still buttoning her shirt. The hoots became whistles and catcalls as her friends took in her tangled hair and flushed cheeks.

"I don't regret it," Alice huffed, straightening her skirt. "What were you doing there anyway?"

"Came round the back of the castle to avoid McGonagall. She was standing in the Charms corridor and recruiting students for next week's mentoring classes." A chorus of groans followed that statement as the sixth-years remembered their new responsibilities. Someone chucked a pillow at James' head and though he caught it with the reflexes of a seasoned Chaser, he looked like he sort of wished it _had_ hit him.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah sorry guys, dunno how that one came about."

Lily glared at him. "Yes you do, you- "

Marly cut her off. "Oh come on, you lazy sods! It's not that bad; Lilikins and I managed well enough yesterday." she admonished. They sat in silence for a second, each contemplating the Saturday mornings they'd soon have to give up, until a loud grumble came from Peter's stomach, provoking a few giggles.

"Can we go to dinner? I'm hungry."

Smiles lit up their faces once more as the Gryffindor sixth-years piled out of the girls' dormitories.

* * *

Later that night, Lily lay staring at the ceiling with her auburn hair fanned out across the pale blue bedspread and arms folded behind her head, mulling over the day's events. She'd always written James Potter off as shallow and conceited, but after today she was feeling strangely disconcerted, like maybe he wasn't as much of a lost cause as she had thought. Maybe it was because he'd had his guard down in front of his friends, or maybe it was because until now, Lily hadn't really talked to him properly. Either way, she'd really quite enjoyed talking to him and Remus and the realisation unsettled her a little.

Remus Lupin – now there was a nice boy if ever Lily knew one. She'd liked Remus from their very first day at Hogwarts; when, in her excitement, she'd tripped over in going up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. The little brown-haired boy behind her had cautiously helped her up, and they'd maintained a steadfast friendship ever since. Lily could talk to Remus for hours; the two both enjoyed reading up on different topics and often studied together. He was both observant and reliable, and Lily was absolutely elated when she found out that he would be her co-prefect for Gryffindor this year. He was the kind of person whom you could tell your darkest secrets to, and know that they were safe. Lily would trust him with her life.

She also knew who she _wouldn't_ trust with her life – Sirius Black. He was a fickle character. Lily remembered how she had hated him for most of first year, especially after his unkindness to Severus on the train. After six years, Lily had gotten to know him better, learning to appreciate his somewhat bawdy sense of humour, but she still didn't think much of his reputation as a bit of a ladies man. She couldn't complain about his loud personality though, as she'd always admired those who were brave enough to speak their mind and do what they wanted without worrying about what others would think.

That's why when Marlene McKinnon burst into the dorm after classes on the first day of first year, panting and diving under her bed while begging Lily not to tell anyone she was there, Lily did so without hesitation, awed by her audacity. A few seconds later, the Gryffindor prefect Mikayla McGonagall had come puffing up the stairs asking for 'that damn McKinnon who took my fizzing whizzbees' and Lily, though shaking from her head to her toes, insisted that she had not seen a blonde girl with a bag of sweets. After the fifth-year had left, Marlene had crawled out and declared Lily her new best friend, breaking open the bag of sweets to share after reassuring her that she was a family friend of the McGonagalls and 'Kayla's not supposed to have sweets anyway, Auntie Minnie said so last Christmas, so really I'm doing her a favour'.

Now that Lily thought back on it, she probably should've been thankful that Mikayla wasn't one to hold a grudge after that first meeting. She'd taken the girls under her wing and helped them find their feet in first year. Whenever Lily had a problem that she didn't dare ask her professor, Kayla was the first one she'd turn to. Kayla was the big sister Lily had wished for ever since Petunia turned her back on her.

That same Mikayla was the one who'd taught James how to play quidditch, and that year, Lily remembered, she'd received the position of Gryffindor Quidditch Captain as well. No-one had been as proud of her as her Aunt Minerva, except maybe James, who often trailed his hand across the shiny gold plaque that bore her name; M. G. McGonagall.

She had graduated at the end of their third year, and Lily still missed her at times, especially when Petunia was being particularly spiteful. She'd seen her a handful of times in the past two years, once when Lily had spent Christmas with Marlene's family and a couple of times at school Quidditch games. James had succeeded her as Quidditch Captain in their fourth year, becoming the youngest Captain in a century. Lily vaguely registered that it was around this time two years ago that James had grown up a bit. Marlene said it was because he was trying to live up to Kayla's legacy. All Lily really cared about was that he no longer hexed people in the corridors for the fun of it. _Too bad it wasn't before Sev turned on me_ , she thought morbidly. _No, you can't blame James,_ she reprimanded herself, _Severus Snape became a different person the second he was sorted into Slytherin and I into Gryffindor. It was only a matter of time_. But no matter how much Lily tried to convince herself the falling-out by Black Lake at the end of third year was no one's fault but Snape's, it still hurt all the same.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Right, to clean up a few of the liberties I've taken (yet again) with the canon timeline. M. G. McGonagall, for you super observant Potterheads out there, was the name inscribed on a Quidditch plaque next to James Potter's in the film. Some say he/she is most likely to be Prof. McG's nephew/niece, so I ran with that. Dunno if she was called Mikayla but I love the name so there we go. She'll almost definitely make a reappearance - I see her as James' role model in a way; he makes himself a better person to do her proud, to prove himself deserving of being her successor. Similarly, I have big plans for little Charlie Weasley to look up to James and become Quidditch Captain someday. Oh right, and there is zero evidence of James being made Quidditch Captain in fourth year but Ollie Wood did it so why not?**

 **I'm also aware that I seem to have enrolled very few students in Hogwarts; about nine to ten in each house, in each year level, so forty-ish per year level. The magical world is generally much smaller in population than the muggle world, and this is also in line with JK Rowling's "Original Forty", so I hope it doesn't bother you too much.**

 **To my mind, with such a small year level it's inevitable that the students will all be quite well acquainted with each other, particularly over the years spent in close quarters. So the boys and girls are pretty comfortable with each other in this one, and although James and Lily are supposed to have some animosity, they share the same friends and so it's impossible for them to just ignore each other. I think that's all? Oh and I promise Little Tonks will make a reappearance sometime soon, and the plot will pick up.**

 **In other exciting news, I finished the entire plot outline for this story today, woohoo! Hope you're having a lovely day, wherever you are!**

 **[13.4.19]**


	4. Chapter 4

"I swear, if one more firstie asks me the way to the kitchens, there'll be hell to pay!" Marlene's frustrated voice cut through the halls like a throwing knife. Lily smirked, weaving her way through the throng of students who had all just finished classes for the day. All week, cute little first-years had been approaching her blonde friend, asking if she knew how to get to the kitchens. At least, some of them were cute. The first one was an absolute sweetheart, which Marlene had no problem personally escorting, as well as giving her extra tips on how to suck up to the elves and where the brownies were kept. The second one received the same treatment and Marly had spent the day bragging to anyone who would listen that she was an "influencer". This led to two more first years being enthusiastically directed to the kitchens, before she narrowed her eyes at the fifth girl who had asked about five minutes ago.

"Down the staircase, under the Great Hall and tickle the pear on the painting on the right." she said, rather curtly. The first year nodded and skipped away, while Marlene scowled. "I'm making it too easy by telling them. For Merlin's sake, I had to bloody figure it out myself!"

"Didn't you just ask James?"

"Well yes but I had to figure out who to ask, didn't I?"

"And Marly, this year's first years have figured out that _you're_ the one to ask." Lily laughed, finding her friend's discomfort hilarious.

Marlene pretended not to hear her. Leaning on the door of the Great Hall, which they had just arrived at, she pushed it open using her full body weight and stumbled through. The two girls joined their friends at the long Gryffindor table.

"Alright there Marly?" Alice peered up around a mouthful of mash. "You look kinda crabby."

"Oh, she is," Lily affirmed, busily heaping food onto her plate. "She has an aversion to small humans." A few amused smiles met this comment. A seventh-year girl with deep chestnut hair in a messy braid and striking dark blue eyes leant over.

"Me and you both, Marlene. I've never wanted to have children but then one of my brothers just had to go knock up his wife and now I'm going to be an aunt." She finished her sentence with an expression of distaste, but a small quirk of her mouth made Lily suspect she was a little more excited than she let on. Amelia Bones was the most determined student she'd ever met and Head Girl to boot.

"I remember Edgar!" Mary chimed in. "How is he?"

"Stuck at home with Rosalyn Greengrass, who's the size of a house and probably craving pickle juice," came the wry reply.

"My Merlin!" The marauders had just tuned in and Peter Pettigrew's eyes bugged out. "Pickle juice?"

"And cranberries," Amelia nodded back gravely.

"Have they decided on a name for the baby yet?" Alice jumped in excitedly.

"Not yet. I know Rosalyn's got a whole list of ridiculous names for the baby but they can't tell if it's a girl or a boy yet." Amelia pulled a face. "Merlin help me if I have a niece named Alexandrina!"

Alice winced. "That's tough. Are they willing to take suggestions?" She smiled and tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her hear. "I was helping out at Uncle Florean's parlour and one of the regulars brought in her newborn for us to meet. He had the cutest little tuft of red hair and he was so well-behaved! Percival, she said his name was, Percy for short. I went home and did a bit of research about names afterwards."

Frank shot her a sidelong glance. "And did you find any that you liked?"

Alice grinned. "For a girl, Emily or Jemima. For a boy, Neville."

Frank grinned. "Neville's nice."

Alice leant over and pecked him on the lips. "Glad you think so too."

"I say Elvendork."

"What the hell? What kind of name is that, James?"

"It can be for a girl or a boy! Versatility is key," he replied with a self-satisfied look.

"And what would its nickname be?" Mary scoffed.

"Dorky!" Peter chuckled. "Hey Dork!"

"Don't call my future child an it!" James jokingly scolded Mary.

Lily snorted. "If you're seriously considering naming your future offspring Elvendork, I think I'll have a chat with your wife."

"Bathsheba's nice!" Sirius protested.

"Reminds me too much of our batty neighbour," James rolled his eyes.

"Bathilda's not batty!" Marlene butted in indignantly.

Amelia laughed. "She is a little bit. Brilliant with her History but totally nutty about everything else. She must be over two hundred years old!"

"Yeah Marls, just because you make her tea all the time and she calls you sugar doesn't mean the rest of us get the same treatment." James poked his tongue out childishly at Marlene.

She smiled sweetly back at him. "It's not my fault I'm her favourite. Is itty-bitty Jamesy-poo feeling left out?"

James pinched her side.

Mary looked over at Amelia. "Who are we talking about, sorry?"

"Bathilda Bagshot. She wrote our History of Magic textbook about fifty years ago and every decade she releases a new updated edition. We get reporters in Godric's Hollow sometimes."

"Ah right," Mary slid her hand into Lily's under the table and squeezed it lightly.

Both Mary and Lily had realised early on that they were the only two non-purebloods in their group of friends, with Mary being a half-blood raised in the Muggle world and Lily being a muggleborn. This fact had never bothered any of their friends, nor them, but the fact stood that the magical world was significantly smaller and hence, almost everybody seemed to know everybody else.

The Potters, McKinnons and Bones all lived in the wizarding village of Godric's Hollow, where the great Godric Gryffindor himself once grew up in and the Dumbledores now resided in; as did, apparently, world-renowned historian Bathilda Bagshot. The Fortescues lived in Diagon Alley, and Lily knew that they were all also family friends of the McGonagalls, Prewetts and Weasleys. Even the Blacks, notorious pureblood supremacists, were related to them. Lily knew James and Sirius shared an aunt. And as much as her friends included her and made her feel accepted, she still sometimes felt like an imposter, as if she was only allowed to glance through a window into this wizarding culture that had been around for millennia.

That's where Mary Macdonald came in, with her sweet Scottish lilt and smattering of strawberry freckles. She and Lily silently supported each other, and made sure the other never felt alone. Their other friends would angrily defend them from any of the bigots who called them names, but Mary was the only one who really understood what Lily went through. When Mulciber tried to assault Mary last year, Lily held her while she cried. And although Lily and Marlene were often seen as pair, and Alice and Mary as the other, the four girls were tighter than anything.

* * *

As Lily left the Great Hall with Marlene, a girl with curly hair so black it looked almost blue pattered up behind them and tapped the blonde on the shoulder. Turning around, her expression went from questioning to thinly veiled horror as she registered the height of the girl. Or rather, the lack of height.

"Don't tell me–"

"No promises," The girl cut in cheerily, unaware of the storm clouds brewing in Marlene's grey eyes. Lily disguised her laugh with a cough and tried to pull the girl to one side and hopefully avoid the wrath of her best friend. The girl pretended not to notice her and spoke even faster.

"Miss McKinnon, I heard that you told my friend where the kitchens were but she wouldn't tell me and I'm feeling a little peckish," the girl drew a breath, "andsoI'mheretoaskyouwhere –"

"FIND THE KITCHENS YOURSELF!" Marlene lost her composure entirely and hollered at the girl, who blinked but seemed strangely unoffended. The girl did back into an empty classroom though, and Lily frantically tried to calm her friend down as she followed.

"YOU CAN GO TELL YOUR FRIEND TO TELL THE ENTIRE FIRST YEAR WHERE THE KITCHENS ARE, SO HELP ME MERLIN. BLACKMAIL HER, HOLD HER BUNNY RABBIT HOSTAGE, I DON'T CARE. JUST DON'T COME TO ME ASKING –" Lily slapped a hand over Marlene's mouth and tried to diffuse the tension by giving a nervous laugh.

"Hey Marly, you told me you'd never tell anyone about the time you held Thumper hostage –" Marlene reached up and wrenched her hand off, still ranting.

"DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE SUCH A PIG THAT YOU WANT TO EAT FIVE MINUTES AFTER DINNER IS OVER!" Lily's eyes grew wide and alarm bells went off in her head. She spotted James Potter through the semi-open door and stuck an arm out to yank him in.

"Damage control!" she hissed. "Marlene called that first year girl a pig!"

James snapped his head around to look at the blue-black haired girl who was sitting on a desk in the corner, swinging her legs rather unconcernedly. He whirled back with an extremely confused expression.

"Is she deaf?"

Lily looked at the girl. "Might be." She fervently hoped that she was.

The girl peered up at Marlene, calmly ignoring the thunderous look on her face. "Excuse me, but did you just call me a pig, Miss McKinnon?"

"Shit!" James swore. "She's not deaf!"

Lily would've laughed if she wasn't freaking out.

The two of them watched with bated breath as the girl hopped off the desk and walked up to their friend, who was about twice the girl's height, until she stood toe to toe with the blonde. Marlene stopped abruptly and looked down, taken aback by her audacity. The girl glanced over at Lily and James cowering in the corner and Lily could've sworn she gave her the briefest of winks. Then she turned back to Marlene and said,

"I mean, I don't think I'd do a whole pig justice, but this is the closest I can get." And with that, she scrunched up her face. The three seventh-years watched, dumbfounded, as she turned a pale, rosy pink, sprouted flappy ears and a giant snout that was, unmistakeably, that of a pig. There was a shocked second of silence until –

"BLOODY BRILLIANT!" James hurdled across chairs and swept the little girl up in an exuberant hug. She giggled with glee. Setting her down carefully on a desk, James Potter took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Sweetheart, that was a prank worthy of the marauders! What's your name?" She met his gaze delightedly but before she could speak, Lily answered for her with a sigh from the other side of the room.

"Nice to see you again Tonks, but next time try not to give me a heart attack in the process, will you? I'm too young to die." Tonks laughed and turned to face Lily, her piggy features shrinking back into her face as wriggled out of James' grasp and ran to give her a hug.

"Hey Miss Lily! I'm sorry, sort of. I don't want you to die any time soon, but your friend looks really funny when she's angry."

Marlene let out a strangled noise as James and Lily laughed at her expense. The shock of what had happened slowly registered, and she stared at the little girl, who was now sporting what Lily knew to be her signature shade of bubblegum pink hair.

"You're a metamorphmagus?"

"Mhm, yep, reporting for duty." Tonks nodded in affirmative and raised her arm in a mock-salute whilst looking entirely too pleased with herself.

"So all those kids who asked me where the kitchens were- they were all _you_?"

"Uh, yep."

"Couldn't the kitchen elves tell that your magical signature was the same each time?"

Tonks arranged her features into an expression that was vaguely apologetic. "They _may_ have found it hilarious and didn't say anything."

James roared with laughter as Marlene looked wounded. "Not so much the favourite anymore, are you Marls?" he called.

Marlene glared at him, then turned back to Tonks and eyed her some more with a deep frown.

"Ah come on, cut the kid a break!"

Without looking, Marlene flipped the bird at James, causing Lily to sigh and mutter something about setting a bad example. Finally, just as Tonks began to look slightly uncertain, Marlene broke into a grudging smile. "Okay fine, I have to admit I'm impressed." Lily coughed. Marly sighed. "And yeah, sorry I called you a pig."

Tonks looked back at her solemnly. "Sorry I annoyed you in six different forms this week."

Marlene raised her eyebrows. "No you're not, love." She opened her arms. "But come over here anyway, I want a hug too." Tonks lit up and sprinted towards her, launching herself into the older girl's arms. Marlene chuckled and spun her around.

"I like you, kiddo, you're a weird one. Call me Marly."

"M'name's Tonks," came the muffled reply.

"Oh trust me, I won't be forgetting _that_ for a while."

* * *

 **A/N: There's an unofficial Harry Potter prequel written by JK Rowling that was handwritten on the back of a postcard and 800 words long. It was published online in 2008 and if you go check it out, you'll see the little detail I took from it. It was auctioned off for charity, specifically English PEN, which supports freedom of expression and literature across frontiers, and Dyslexia Action.**

 **At the time of writing this chapter, in May 2017, J.K. Rowling had just released a statement asking people to keep an eye out for the stolen postcard containing her story. It's available to read online, so if you happen to come across it being sold as memorabilia, please don't buy it! It was a goodwill gesture for charity that was wrongfully taken from its owner, who donated a generous sum of money for it. Unfortunately, I'm reposting this chapter in April 2019 and the postcard still hasn't been returned.**

 **On that note though, I'd like to hope my writing has developed in two years, and most of these first few chapters were written a while ago. I'm not sure how I feel about them, might tweak them later, and the plot only really picks up around chapter 8. Thank you for your patience, it's very much a work in progress!**

 **Blue x**

 **[22.4.19]**


	5. Chapter 5

Within the next few days, majority of the Gryffindor sixth and seventh years had been regaled with the epic prank a little first-year girl had pulled on the notoriously unapproachable Marlene.

"Where is this kid?" Mary asked, from where she was currently engaged in a game of Wizard's chess with Peter in the Common Room one night. "I want to meet her!"

Marlene looked blankly at her from where she was lying sideway across a cushy armchair. "Hey Lilikins!" she hollered, aiming her voice as best she could at the staircase leading up to their dormitory. "Come here!"

There was a thudding of feet as Lily rushed down the stairs, still wringing her hair dry from the shower she'd just taken.

"What's the emergency?"

"What house is Tonks in?"

Lily stared incredulously at her best friend. "You pulled me out of my hot shower for _that_?"

"Sorry." Marlene pouted, not sounding very sorry at all. "But she's not a Gryffindor, is she?"

Lily looked thoughtful. "You know, I'm actually not quite sure. I don't think she is."

"Wow thanks Lily!" Marly dragged her voice sarcastically. "And I thought you were the one who was supposedly all chummy with Tonks – which, might I add, I'm wounded you didn't tell me about."

"I forgot!" Lily protested. "We spoke briefly in that first mentoring lesson of the year – remember, when you and Jeremy had a fight –"

"Jem stole my wand –"

"Whatever, she slipped from my mind because I didn't see her again after that. But I remember thinking she was just like you were in first year."

A deep voice cut in smoothly from behind the girls. "Merlin help us all. Two Marlene McKinnons running around? I'll be in my bunker."

They turned around to see Sirius walking towards them. Behind him, James was still climbing through the portrait hole. Marlene rolled her eyes.

"If you're afraid of a first year, you should really get yourself checked out."

Sirius winked. "Can I get myself checked out by you?"

Lily groaned. "Yeah Marly, you walked right into that one."

"Walked right into what?" James had arrived next to Sirius. He summoned two cushions from across the room, handed one to his best mate and plopped down on the other. Lily tossed her towel onto the coffee table, then perched on the edge.

"Nothing that concerns you," Marlene smirked in response to James' question.

James raised his eyebrows and looked at Lily for confirmation.

She thought fast. "Marly was just asking what house Tonks was in."

" _Oh."_ James snickered. "Didn't you see her tie? She's in Hufflepuff."

Marlene harrumphed and the four of them sat in silence for a while. Lily stared at James' twitching mouth, but before she could ask him what was so funny, Marlene let out a loud shriek.

"She's a HUFFLEPUFF?!" Lily and Sirius jumped. A few people nearby stopped talking and looked over at Marlene.

James, who had burst out laughing at Marlene's shout, nodded hard.

Marlene scowled darkly as the others looked confusedly between the two. Not for the first time, James was glad Marlene operated on the same natural wavelength as him. They'd been inseparable as children, though once they reached school, James had found Sirius and Marlene met Lily. Both wouldn't trade their respective best friends for anything in the world, but they still remained close and James had few childhood memories that didn't involve Marlene McKinnon. He loved her like the sister he'd never had, and knew he always would. Even if she was currently glaring up at him as if he'd just admitted to murder.

Lily's mouth lifted into a half smile. "Care to share with the rest of us non-telepathic folk?"

Marlene didn't blink. Instead, she growled. "You mean to say that she spent all week asking me for directions to the kitchens when her Common Room is right. next. to. it?" she asked, punctuating each word.

"That would be correct, Marls." James smirked, as the rest of the listening Gryffindors fell into hysterics. Confusion cleared, most of them turned back to their conversations and games. Sirius got called over by a bunch of younger girls and Lily stood up, brushed herself off and wandered off to find Remus for a card game.

Marlene sighed as she was left alone with James. "You've really got to give it to that girl, don't you?" Spotting a little redheaded boy who had been listening in from the edge of the Common Room and was smiling to himself, she waved him over. He started, and looked around, trying to figure out who the loudmouthed, blonde sixth-year was pointing to. She beckoned again and he tentatively made his way towards her.

"Hey buddy, do me a favour?" She pulled a chocolate frog from her robes and handed it to him. "Could you give this to a little brat named Tonks in Charms tomorrow morning? Just say Marly sent you."

"What the hell, Marls?" James interjected. "Getting him to do your dirty work for you now?" Looking at the boy, he shook his head. "Sorry mate, what's your name?"

The boy blushed shyly. "Charlie."

"Right, don't you take advantage of Charlie here, Marls. How do you know he's even got Charms with Tonks tomorrow?"

Marlene rolled her eyes and tapped her head. "Jem told me the Ravenclaws have Charms with the Slytherins on Thursday afternoons, meaning Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs have it in the morning. I have _inside information_."

Charlie let a little giggle slip. Marlene winked at him. "So, Charlie. Reckon you could hunt down Tonks for me?"

He nodded. "Yep!" He glanced longingly at the chocolate in his hands before putting it away.

Noticing this, Marlene leant forward, body hanging precariously off her armchair, to pluck a chocolate frog from James' pocket.

"Hey!"

Taking no notice, Marlene pressed it into Charlie's hands. "And here's another one for you, sweetheart." Charlie looked up at James. The older boy said nothing, merely following Marlene's movements with his eyes. He nodded once at Charlie, whose face lit up like Christmas had come early and, after uttering a quick thank you, ran to the stairs to stash it away in his dorm. James looked at Marlene. Marlene looked right back.

"I expect compensation, y'know."

Marlene held her hands up. "Don't worry, I'll give you one of mine." She paused. "After I steal it from Alice."

James scrunched up his face in a mock-grimace. "Ew, girl germs."

Marlene snickered. "I could steal one of Lily's."

James sat himself on the arm of her chair and tried to push her off. She pushed back. The two tussled for a few seconds before Marlene dropped her head onto his shoulder. They stayed there comfortably, each thinking about the green-eyed girl who was currently playing Exploding Snap with Remus on the other side of the room.

"Do you still like her?"

James didn't take his eyes off her flaming red hair. "I do. I think a part of me always will, whether it goes anywhere or not. But with everything that happened with Mum and Dad over the break… doesn't seem as important anymore, I guess."

Marlene shifted to look up at him. He stared resolutely ahead. "How are they?" she asked softly.

"Mum's getting better. Dad's in a bad way."

They both fell silent.

"You know my door's always open if you need me."

"I know."

He watched as, across the room, Lily slapped her hand down on a pile of cards and laughed loudly as Remus pulled a face. "She's a great girl. I'd be honoured to just be her friend, if nothing more," he said honestly. Looking sideways at Marlene, he added, "don't tell her, though. I'm still holding out for a chance."

Marlene gave a small smile. "Of course."

* * *

Charlie Weasley entered the classroom munching on the croissant he'd nabbed from the table at breakfast. Scanning the room, his eyes landed on the chestnut-haired girl he knew to be Tonks. Or at least, he hoped it was Tonks. He'd only heard her referred to in class as Please-sit-still-Miss-Tonks or What-is-it-now-Miss-Tonks. _Close enough_ , he thought.

She looked up curiously to see him sliding into the seat next to her. He dropped his books onto the table and used one hand to hold his croissant while the other dug around in his robe pockets.

"What are you –"

"Aha!" Charlie triumphantly pulled out the chocolate frog Marlene had given him to pass to Tonks yesterday and slid it across the desk. "This is for you."

Tonks stared. "What's that?"

Charlie's head snapped up to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," repeated Tonks, "what's that?" She looked at Charlie. "My dad's a muggle. Mum has always been determined on teaching me about both worlds. So I grew up in Muggle London and she told me stories about the magical world. I guess I'm still getting used to actually being in it."

"Oh." It occurred to Charlie that for once, he was the one with more experience when it came to magic. All his life he'd been labelled as a Weasley; the middle child of an old wizarding family known for its trademark red hair and lack of money. Now, looking at this interesting girl who didn't care one jot for his heritage and seemed perfectly proud of being half-muggle, he decided that she'd make a good friend. "That's a chocolate frog."

Tonks grinned and snatched it off the table. "Chocolate? Say no more!" she crowed. Unwrapping it, she bit the head off hungrily. She chewed for a moment, then paused and offered the rest to Charlie.

"Want some?" she mumbled around a mouthful of rich chocolate.

Charlie shook his head. "No thanks, I've got one too." After a moment of thought, he added, "Marly gave that to me to give to you, by the way. Marlene McKinnon."

Tonks beamed, but before she could say anything, Professor Flitwick tottered through the door with garbled apologies for his lateness. As Tonks discreetly hid her chocolate under the table, Charlie hid a smile and the two got on with the lesson.

* * *

 **[02.06.19]**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm sorry this has taken me so long! I had written the first half right after I uploaded the last chapter but honestly, the second half gave me so much trouble. This chapter is quite a bit shorter, but I wanted to get at least something up. I might come back and add something onto this one, or I might just put it in the next chapter. Hope it's alright!**

* * *

After class, Charlie waited for Tonks to gather her things. She heaved her textbooks into her arms, but as she did, her elbow knocked over her inkwell and sent it flying off the edge of the desk. Without thinking twice, Charlie's hand shot out and caught it before it fell to smithereens. Tonks shot him a grateful look.

As they left the classroom and into a fairly empty corridor, Charlie remembered something else he'd overheard the previous night, something he'd been dying to ask all morning.

"Is it true you can change what you look like?" he blurted out. She giggled and said nothing. Charlie waited for an answer, but when he heard none, he looked over at her.

"Argh!" he yelled, jumping about a foot into the air. Blushing, he tried to regain some of the composure he'd lost upon seeing his own face attached to a girl's body and looking back at him. "How do you _do_ that?"

Tonks laughed, morphing her face back to normal. "Dunno. Just can. I'm a metamorphagus." The word meant nothing to Charlie but he nodded all the same.

Tonks piped up again. "Any special requests? I never got to change around my muggle friends, so I just muck around by myself in the mirror. I bet there's heaps of things I haven't tried."

"Can you only do humans?"

"I can't turn into an animal, if that's what you're asking."

"I heard you turned into a pig to prank Marlene."

"Oh _that._ " As she walked, Tonks shifted her nose into a snout and ears into piggy flaps like she had done in front of the sixth-years last week. When she spoke, her voice came out normally. "I've figured that I can change parts of me that are already on my body, but I can't grow things that aren't there, like a tail, and I can't get rid of things." She pointed at her orange eyebrows to demonstrate.

"Could you do a dragon, then?"

Tonks paused, then stopped walking and turned to him with shining eyes. "I've never tried that! What features would a dragon have?"

Charlie beamed. He was in his element. Since he was four, his parents had read him books about dragons every night and he'd be damned if he didn't get this Tonks-dragon perfect. "You'll probably need a snout, first."

Tonks blinked in confusion. "But I already have a snout." She snorted through her pig snout to demonstrate. Charlie giggled.

"No, a reptile's snout! Dragons are reptiles –"

"Say what now?" Tonks seemed lost.

Charlie thought fast. "Um, have you seen a crocodile's snout?"

Tonks jutted out her chin and scrunched up her face. A long, toothy snout protruded from her face and Charlie looked at it critically.

"No, shorter."

It halved itself to about six-inches.

"Rounder."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "I thought you just told me to make it long and skinny!"

"Yes but that's because the pig was _too_ round."

"Exactly how round is it supposed to be?"

Charlie ran through a list of animals he knew. "Like a dog's muzzle," he said with certainty.

"A short, scaly dog's muzzle with lots of sharp teeth?" Tonks asked with a touch of skepticism.

"Yep."

"If you say so." Tonks altered her snout again to exactly that.

"Right, now we'll do the eyes?"

"Yeah!" She cheered enthusiastically.

Charlie worked hard on getting her eyes looking as close to a dragon's as possible and Tonks worked with him. Before long, Tonks had not only altered the shape of her eyes, but also changed the colour of her irises and dilated her pupils. When they were done, Charlie took a step back and frowned. "It's still missing something."

Tonks turned electric blue. Charlie yelped. "Whoa! Not that!"

Tonks giggled and turned scarlet instead. Charlie looked thoughtful. "You know, there _is_ a species of dragon that has bright red scales," he began slowly.

"Let me guess, it's red and gold?"

Charlie looked stunned. "How'd you know?"

"You're so very Gryffindor," she smirked.

"Oh," he smiled sheepishly. "Yeah." Then he fell silent for a while.

"Ooh, I have an idea!" Tonks suddenly shrieked. She concentrated hard. Charlie watched in awe as her hair gelled together to form a halo of golden spikes fringing her fearsome features. Her teeth sharpened to fangs, and her skin turned scaly.

The spitting image of a Chinese Fireball gazed out of Tonks' face and Charlie felt like crying with happiness upon seeing his favourite dragon come to life before his eyes. Seeing her new friend so happy made Tonks' hair turn bright pink with delight and the two scurried to their next class, animatedly discussing what she should try next.

* * *

"All right, listen up you lot!" James Potter's voice rose above the din in the Gryffindor Common Room after dinner the following week. "Thanks for coming to the first house meeting of the year. We'll try not to take up too much of your time, but we'll be holding these every month or so. And now, please welcome the one and only Amelia Bones for some announcements!"

Amelia stepped up onto the table, smiling wryly. "Yes, thanks for that James."

Hopping off, he gave a dramatic sweeping bow to the Head Girl. "Floor's all yours, Ames."

Shooting him a quick mock-glare, Amelia addressed her house. "First of all lions, congratulations! We're six weeks into term and sitting comfortably at the top of the scoreboard." That brought out a great cheer from the crowd. "That aside, the Headmaster would like to remind you all that the Hallowe'en Feast is coming up and Mr Filch has banned all Filibuster Fireworks indoors." She looked suspiciously at the Marauders, who stared back innocently. "And if any of you lose points over something as stupid as that, I will personally wring your throats."

"Love you too, Bones!" Sirius called. Amelia rolled her eyes and gestured for Remus and Lily to make their announcements, before climbing off the table herself. She left the Common Room to go to Ravenclaw Tower and update them on the news as well.

Lily watched the Fat Lady's portrait swing closed before clearing her throat. "Right, I'll keep this short. As your prefects, Remus and I would just like to remind the younger year levels that if you're having trouble in any of your subjects, we run a help desk on Saturday mornings. For the older students, please make sure you put your name down for a shift or we will start allocating them." She glanced at Remus. "Is that all?"

"You'll get more reminders as we get closer to the holidays, but make sure to let Professor McGonagall know as soon as you can if you plan to stay at Hogwarts over the Christmas break." He nodded at Lily. "That's all from us." There was some polite clapping that turned into whoops and cheers as James scrambled back onto the table.

"A big thank you to the beautiful Lily Evans and equally beautiful Remus Lupin!" he grinned. Remus shoved his friend before stepping off and Lily swung her leg down, blushing. _Why are you blushing?_ she scolded herself. _He pulls that kind of stuff all the time._ But looking up at his cocksure figure, so confident in himself, she found herself more amused than irritated, as she once might have been.

"In case you haven't heard already, Quidditch season is coming up!" he was saying. A roar of approval met his words. "We have three spots open this year – almost half the team. Sign up sheets are already pinned up on that noticeboard over there," James pointed to a wide corkboard spanning the wall between the two flights of stairs leading to the boys and girls' dormitories, "and try-outs will be held next week." The room broke into excited whispers.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or one of the other Gryffindor team members. Otherwise, have a good night folks!" James jumped off the table to a round of applause. Students started to break apart, chatting about the impending Quidditch trials as they drifted up to their dorms in groups.

Grinning, James made his way over to Remus and Lily who were busy going over the mentoring roster. He slung an arm round each of them and Lily had to pretend not to notice the casual familiarity he touched her with.

"I reckon the first house meeting of the year went well!" he exclaimed.

"Nice job out there, Prongs," Remus smiled. Lily nodded, but her next sentence was interrupted by the current members of the Gryffindor team joining the trio.

"Way to go Captain," whooped Marlene. James turned, dropping his arms to receive three high fives from his teammates.

"How's the team looking?" Frank rumbled.

"Pretty good, I'd say. We've got some talented prospects to pick from." James sounded quite pleased with his house.

Sirius' eyes glinted. "Fresh meat. Mate, we should hit them with some kind of induction ceremony."

Marlene slapped him on the shoulder before turning to James. "We've had a question about a reserve team? You haven't told us if you're organising one yet."

Lily watched as James ran a hand through his hair, steeled himself, then followed Marlene over to a group of second and third years who were bursting with questions. He calmly answered each of them, assuring a few nervous-looking ones and even chuckling at something one of them had said. From the wide eyes and bright smiles they sported, it was clear that the younger students adored him.

 _He is such a natural leader,_ Lily thought. She knew that she'd never manage the kind of innate leadership ability that James had, but she didn't mind. Instead, Lily felt her respect for him grow.

* * *

 **A/N: In case you were wondering, I'm fairly sure I'm going to make Amos Diggory Head Boy. And Amelia Bones is a Gryffindor so she usually addresses the Gryffindor Common Room then goes over to Ravenclaw to do the same because they're both on the seventh floor (I think?). Amos, being a Hufflepuff, would do his own house and then cross the basement to the Slytherin Dungeons.**

 **And yes, the Gryffindor Team is currently just four sixth-years, but I'm planning to add in two fifth-years and a particularly talented fourth year. We'll just pretend the seventh years aren't very good at Quidditch? Let me know if you think there should be a reserve team - I'm hesitant to add too many characters for fear of confusion.**


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